''Catastrophe'' is a

British television Regular television broadcasts in the United Kingdom started in 1936 as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transmitted moving image in 1926. Currently, the United Kingdom has a collection ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

first broadcast on 19 January 2015 on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

. It is created, written by, and stars

Sharon Horgan Sharon Lorencia Horgan (born 13 July 1970) is an Irish actress, writer, director, comedian and producer who co-wrote and starred in the comedy series '' Pulling'' (2006–2009) and ''Catastrophe'' (2015–2019). She also created the HBO comedy ...

and

Rob Delaney Rob Delaney (born January 19, 1977) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and activist. He was the co-star and co-writer of the TV show ''Catastrophe'', and has appeared in comedy films such as ''Deadpool 2'' (2018) and ''Tom & Jerry'' (2021). ...

, who portray single people who become a couple after she unexpectedly becomes pregnant following a fling while he is visiting London on a business trip.

Carrie Fisher Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the ''Star Wars'' films (1977–1983). She reprised the role in'' Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' (2015), ''The Last ...

Ashley Jensen Ashley Jensen (born 11 August 1969) is a Scottish actress and narrator. She was nominated for an Emmy for her role on the television series '' Extras'', in which she appeared from 2005 to 2007. She was a cast member of the ABC series '' Ugly ...

and Mark Bonnar play supporting characters in the series. The show was renewed for a second series in January 2015 and began broadcasting from 27 October 2015, having been brought forward from its original schedule of early 2016. In July 2016, Catastrophe was renewed for a third and fourth series. The third series, which began broadcasting in the UK on 28 February 2017, comprises 6 episodes — which all became available in the United States on 28 April 2017, hosted by

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

. The fourth and final series of the show began broadcasting on 8 January 2019; premiering on March 15, 2019, in the US. For her performance in the show, Sharon Horgan was nominated for a

BAFTA Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...

for Best Female Comedy Performance in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

. Both Horgan and Delaney won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Writer: Comedy. The show was nominated for a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

. In July 2016, the show received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Writing For a Comedy Series for Horgan and Delaney.

Synopsis

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

teacher Sharon is single and lives in London. She meets single

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

advertising executive Rob in a bar whilst he is visiting London on a business trip. They have a six-day fling and he returns to his home town,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. She discovers that she is pregnant by him. After she informs him of that, he moves to London and they become a couple. They marry shortly before she gives birth to their son. They later have a daughter.

Cast

Rob Delaney, Sharon Horgan, Trending Report

Main

as Sharon Morris *

as Rob Norris

Recurring

as Fran, Sharon's

frenemy "Frenemy" (also spelled "frienemy") is an oxymoron and a portmanteau of " friend" and " enemy" that refers to "a person with whom one is friendly, despite a fundamental dislike or rivalry" or "a person who combines the characteristics of a frie ...

* Mark Bonnar as Chris, Fran's husband *

as Mia Norris, Rob's mother (series 1–3) *

Frances Tomelty Frances Tomelty (born 6 October 1948) is a Northern Irish actress whose numerous television credits include ''Strangers'' (1978–1979), '' Testament of Youth'' (1979), ''Inspector Morse'' (1988), ''Cracker'' (1993), '' The Amazing Mrs Pritchard ...

as Carol Morris, Sharon's mother * Gary Lilburn as Des Morris, Sharon's father (series 1–3) * Jonathan Forbes as Fergal Morris, Sharon's brother * Daniel Lapaine as Dave, Rob's friend * Eileen Walsh as Kate, Sharon's friend. * Tobias Menzies as Dr. Harries * Sarah Niles as Melissa, Sharon's co-worker * Marta Barrio as Mallandra, Fergal's wife * Seeta Indrani as Harita *

Emmanuelle Bouaziz Emmanuelle Bouaziz (born 22 May) is a French actress, dancer and singer. Life and career A father with Algerian jewish roots and a mother of Ukrainian origin, Emmanuelle Bouaziz studied dance at the Rick Odums Performing Arts Institute where ...

as Olivia *

Amanda Hale Amanda Hale (born 2 October 1982) is a British actress. Early life Hale is one of four children born to Irish immigrant parents in northwest London. Her cousin is scientist Martin Glennie. She had been due to go to Oxford University to study ...

as Catherine, Dave's girlfriend * Lauren Socha as Anna * Kai Alexander as Jeffrey, Fran & Chris's son (series 3–4) *

Michaela Watkins Michaela Suzanne Watkins (born December 14, 1971) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for starring on the Hulu series '' Casual'' and on the short-lived sitcoms '' The Unicorn'' and ''Trophy Wife'', as well as being a cast memb ...

as Sydney Norris, Rob's sister (series 4)

Production and broadcast

The series was officially commissioned by

in May 2014 after a successful pilot the previous year. The BBC had previously turned down the series after reading the script. ''Catastrophe'' was named after the following quotation from the movie ''

Zorba the Greek ''Zorba the Greek'' ( el, Βίος και Πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά, , Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas) is a novel written by the Cretan author Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1946. It is the tale of a young Greek int ...

''. "I'm a man, so I married. Wife, children, house, everything. The full catastrophe." The original theme for the series, "Catastrophe Theme", was composed by Oli Julian. On 28 January 2015, the show was renewed for a second series, which aired in October 2015. Jay Hunt, Channel 4's chief creative officer, said: "Catastrophe is a real comedy gem. Sharon and Rob have done a magnificent job and we're already looking forward to series two".

, who plays Mia, died on 27 December 2016 shortly after filming of series 3 of ''Catastrophe'' had concluded. This was her final TV role. The final episode of series 3 is dedicated to her, with the simple words "For Carrie" appearing on screen alongside a photograph of Fisher following the credits. Series 4 was filmed in 2018 and was the series' last. For series 4, production visited Beacon House in

Whitstable Whitstable () is a town on the north coast of Kent adjoining the convergence of the Swale Estuary and the Greater Thames Estuary in southeastern England, north of Canterbury and west of Herne Bay. The 2011 Census reported a population of ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, which doubled as a house in

, and was used for the filming of Mia's (

) funeral. Another location in Whitstable which featured in the filming was The Lobster Shack.

The Pantiles The Pantiles is a Georgian colonnade in the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. Formerly known as "The Walks" and the (Royal) "Parade", it leads from the well that gave the town its name. The area, developed following the disc ...

Royal Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks ...

also featured and doubled as Boston.

Episodes

Series 1 (2015)

Series 2 (2015)

Series 3 (2017)

Series 4 (2019)

Broadcast

The series was first broadcast in the UK on

from January 2015. In the United States, the series is shown exclusively on

Amazon Prime Instant Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pri ...

, with the first series added in June 2015. It will be made available to subscribers in the United Kingdom later in the year.

Amazon Studios Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed th ...

vice president Roy Price said: "Rob and Sharon have created an engaging, contemporary, funny and moving story. We are excited to bring ''Catastrophe'' exclusively to our Amazon Prime customers, and can't wait to hear what they think of the series." The show has also been sold to numerous other countries. In

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

it is shown on

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owne ...

, in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

it ran on

Shomi Shomi (pronounced "show me") was a Canadian subscription video on demand service jointly owned by Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications. The service was viewed as a Canadian-based competitor to Netflix, with a library of 1,200 films and 1 ...

until the

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of ...

service ceased operation, and in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

SoHo Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was deve ...

Accolades

References

External links

* * * * {{Sharon Horgan 2015 British television series debuts 2019 British television series endings 2010s British sex comedy television series 2010s British sitcoms Casual sex in television Channel 4 sitcoms English-language television shows Pregnancy-themed television shows Television series about dysfunctional families Television series about marriage Television series created by Sharon Horgan Television shows set in London